


Nothing (will make us not want you)

by LoneWolfWriter



Category: The Fosters (TV 2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Disabled Character, Fluff, Missing Scene, No Braille, S1Ep10
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-14 04:21:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29164857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoneWolfWriter/pseuds/LoneWolfWriter
Summary: Callie has a secret that she’s been withholding from her foster family and from her brother Jude. And now that the (soon-to-be Adams Fosters) asked her and Jude to become a part of the family, she doesn’t know how much longer she can hide the truth.Not when the truth is becoming more and more visible and her foster family is beginning to notice.No family wants to adopt a kid who’s health isn’t prefect. Not when their health will put them in a wheelchair sooner rather than later. There’s no way Stef and Lena would adopt her after learning the truth. Right?
Relationships: Callie Adams Foster & Lena Adams Foster, Callie Adams Foster & Stef Adams Foster, Lena Adams Foster/Stef Adams Foster
Comments: 6
Kudos: 21





	Nothing (will make us not want you)

**Author's Note:**

> So I’m a day late and dollar short, huh? I love The Fosters! I started watching in 2016, just after S4 aired. It took me roughly 2 weeks (I have a kid) to binge watch S1-3 on Netflix and fell in with the show! My favorite is Stef’s and Callie’s mother/daughter relationship. Anyway! 
> 
> I started binge watching the series again on Hulu and was reading up on some of the fic’s. I’m no stranger to fanfic as I have been writing for the Wynonna Earp fandom since 2018. 
> 
> This story begins with a missing scene from S1Ep10, where Stef checks in with Callie after the court hearing about Liam, prior to the wedding. Like in the tags, this is a work of an AU but also merged with different scenes that took place in the show. 
> 
> THERE WILL BE NO BRAILLE! 
> 
> If disabled characters are not your thing, then turn back now. As a heads up, though, Callie will have MS. I’ll explain more in the end notes.

“Stupid leg.” Callie punched the side of her thigh, hoping to stop the spasm coursing through her right leg. 

Her left hand gripped the railing of the porch swing as she punched her leg again; willing it to stop. 

Living in a house with six other people made it extremely difficult to hide her spasms. They had been happening more frequently. Callie started writing it down in the journal she carried everywhere. When one of her foster mom’s, Lena Adams, asked why she carried around a notebook, Callie lied straight through her teeth and stated she was a writer. Her foster sister, Mariana, asked to read some of her work, though she denied access immediately. She claimed her writing was for herself and wasn’t ready to let people read it yet. 

Callie wasn’t much of a writer, but if she told the truth that she was an artist, it would have been harder to conceal from prying eyes. Jude, her little brother, though young and semi naïve, seemed more in tuned than she had wanted. Not that Callie was trying to hide her illness from him. She just didn’t want the weight of it to be on his shoulders. It wasn’t his responsibility to take care of her. A twelve-year-old shouldn’t have to care for his fifteen-year-old sister. That was her job. Keeping Jude in the dark for as long as she had would kick her in the ass eventually, but she didn’t care. Him being a kid was far more important. 

“Hey Cal.” Her head snapped up to the sound of her other foster mom’s voice. “You okay?” Stef’s eyes zeroed in on her leg, bouncing. 

Her leg finally stopped moving and Callie had never been more grateful. 

“Mmhmm.” 

“Okay... listen.” Stef took a seat next to her. “You’ve been kinda distant since yesterday. If seeing Liam was too much, Lena and I can move the wedding to next week. We don’t want you to put on a brave face for our sake. Your well-being is much, much more important.” 

Liam. Just the thought of his name put a foul taste in her mouth and shiver down her spine. Callie instantly felt Stef’s hand rubbing her back and soothing motion. Knowing her foster moms were willing to put aside their happiness for her own cause her heart to swell with joy. She wasn’t used to people treating her that way. Foster care was more like the survival of the fittest. Some homes were okay. Loving and caring like the Fosters. Most of them, though, left you broken and reminded you of damaged goods. That was exactly how Liam made her feel. Callie never wanted to see him again, but after learning there was a new girl living with the Olmsted’s, she couldn’t stand around doing nothing. So seeing him at Wyatt’s party should have been a no brain-er. Didn’t mean she expected it to happen. 

Another shiver ran down her spine, causing the tiniest of spasms to happen near the base of where thigh began. Callie hoped Stef didn’t feel her muscles twitching. 

“Yea. No. I know. The wedding will be a pleasant distraction. Keep me from being in my head for too long.” 

“Are you sure? We’ll understand if you don’t want a bunch of people around.” 

“No, I’m grateful for the distraction. I should head inside and finish the rest of my homework.” She was so focused on her right leg that Callie ignored the loss of feeling in her left. Without thinking, she grabbed her leg that was tucked underneath her, and placed her foot on the porch. 

“My leg is asleep.” Callie said before Stef could question her further. The tingling sensation slowly went away, indicating that her leg was actually asleep, but she knew better.

“Okay.” Stef chuckled and stood up next to her. “Want some help?” 

“Nah. I’m okay. I’m feeling my toes again.” 

The silence between them was deafening. There was a level of awkwardness that she didn’t want to unload. Callie knew her foster mother was biting her tongue, holding back from overstepping. Since opening up about the Liam situation, she felt closer to Stef and Lena. Most people wouldn’t bother to get involved and try to help put her rapist away where he belonged. Foster families rarely cared. 

The door opened suddenly, causing the tension to disburse. Lena stepped out, looking between the pair curiously. A tight-lipped smile graced Callie’s face as she slowly made her around the older woman. As much as she liked her foster moms, the events over the last twenty-four hours were weighing heavily on her. The drowsiness seeped into every muscle, making it harder and harder to each her bedroom door. The hallway looked daunting and felt like a mile long. She slammed her hand against the wall, bracing her body up as best she could. Her legs felt numb and her torso seemed heavier than usual. Callie blinked, noticing the pain shooting from the back of her eyes. 

When had the room started spinning? When did her head feel dizzy? She hated feeling like this. The end results were always the same. Dizziness brought on bruises from collapsing to the floor. A vicious cycle she wished would end. There was a voice calling out to her. Who, Callie couldn’t tell. 

Light faded as her eyelids fluttered closed. The last thing Callie heard before the world went black was someone screaming. 

**Author's Note:**

> If you’re interested in reading more, let me know! 
> 
> So this fic will be pretty hard for me. I know what it’s like to live with someone who is in wheelchair. My mother is and has been wheelchair bound my entire life. She was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis(MS) back in the 80’s and became paralyzed in 92’. I’m not sure the exact year when she was diagnosed but I do know that by the time she married my father, she was starting to walk with a cane. 
> 
> I’m going to do my best in making sure symptoms are accurate. Remember this is a work of fiction and not everything is going to be true. With that said, kids can be diagnosed with MS. Those extremely rare, (0.2-.0.7%) kids 10 and under can be diagnosed. 
> 
> For more information about Multiple Sclerosis in children(18 and younger), click [Here](https://www.webmd.com/multiple-sclerosis/ms-in-children). For adults with MS, click [Here](https://www.webmd.com/multiple-sclerosis/what-is-multiple-sclerosis).


End file.
